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In Memoriam: Alberto ‘Pancho’ Motta, left, with his wife Loraine and IAADFS Executive Director Michael Payne, at last week’s IAADFS show in Orlando |
PANAMA. With huge regret we report the passing of one of travel retail’s great leaders, Alberto ‘Pancho’ Motta, Director of Motta Internacional and President of the International Association of Airport Duty Free Stores.
Mr Motta was a revered and respected figure in both the travel retail industry and the wider Panamanian business community. Friends and colleagues in the industry are in shock over his passing.
The Moodie Davitt Report joins the whole industry in expressing our condolences, regret, love and solidarity to his wife Loraine and the whole Motta family and team on the loss of this outstanding human being, great family man and wonderful industry leader.
IAADFS Executive Director Michael Payne told The Moodie Davitt Report that the news was “devastating”, adding: “He was really one of the most grounded individuals I knew and treated all with kindness and respect.”
Pancho Motta’s predecessor as IAADFS President (and long-time board colleague) David Bernstein said he was in deep shock, adding with affection, “He was my brother.”
TFWA management said it was deeply saddened to learn of Pancho Motta’s passing and noted that “his contribution to the growth of our industry cannot be overstated”.
TFWA President Erik Juul-Mortensen said: “Pancho was a great business associate and an outstanding president of the IAADFS, with whom TFWA and I enjoyed a long and excellent relationship on a professional level. He was also a close personal friend – to me and many others.
“Only last week in Orlando, Sarah and I had dinner with him and his wife Lorraine, spending happy hours sharing stories about our lives and our families. I, and the entire industry, will miss him greatly. I offer my sincere condolences to the Motta family, Motta Internacional and to IAADFS on behalf of everyone at TFWA.”
Duty Free World Council President Frank O’Connell expressed the organisation’s “shock and sadness” at Motta’s passing. “On behalf of the Duty Free World Council and on my own behalf I wish to express our sincere sympathy to Lorraine and the Motta family on the sudden death of our colleague and dear friend Pancho,” he said.
“The news comes as a terrible shock to the entire duty free community who only last week were celebrating a successful Duty Free Show of the Americas with Pancho, who was very much the driving force behind our industry in the Americas and who played such a leading role in the establishment of the Duty Free World Council and its success to date. He will be hugely missed.
“On behalf of all of us I want to extend our condolences to Lorraine and her family and assure her of our prayers in the weeks and months ahead.”
Speaking at the ACI Europe Airport Commercial & Retail Conference in Helsinki, Furla Global Travel Retail Director Gerry Munday said: “We learned last night of the sad news of the passing of one of the most distinguished people in our industry. We pass our condolences to his wife Loraine and family.”
We will pay a full tribute to this good and gracious man later this week.
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Local media report Pancho Motta’s tragic passing |
